


Flickered in the Night

by hippiefairy



Category: Arrow (TV 2012), Supergirl (TV 2015), The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Barry isn't either anymore, Cisco is a good friend, Kara is very protective of her boys, More Pairings to Come - Freeform, Multi, Oliver isn't, Post-Episode: s03e15 The Wrath of Savitar, Pre-Relationship, Slow Burn, but spoilers for all of season 3, probably more tags to come, she's a ray of sunshine, so is Winn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-27
Updated: 2017-05-27
Packaged: 2018-11-05 10:11:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,848
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11011305
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hippiefairy/pseuds/hippiefairy
Summary: Savitar won't stop until he breaks Barry.... but he didn't really count on having to go through Supergirl and the Green Arrow, or did he?





	Flickered in the Night

**Author's Note:**

> This takes place directly after The Flash episode "The Wrath of Savitar", is canon through that episode and will incorporate some of what happened in the later episodes of season 3, but is ultimately AU. 
> 
> Don't expect Mon-El to show up, I can't stand him and I'm pretending he doesn't exist.
> 
> I shouldn't have started another story, but this one is short and I desperately need some Karivarry in my life right now.

Maybe being alone wasn’t so bad, if he was alone then he didn’t have to worry about protecting anyone, they wouldn’t need to be protected if it wasn’t for him. But being alone… Barry wrapped his arms around himself and carefully sat up. He didn’t have any more tears, he didn’t have the words to say how bad he was hurting, all he had was the knowledge that he _couldn’t_ be alone. It didn’t matter that his friends and family had all left when he needed them. He understood why they did, losing Wally…. Barry shook his head.

 

“No” he whispered, they hadn’t lost him yet and Barry was going to do everything in his power to get him back. It was his own fear and selfishness that had led to this, his inability to focus on anything but saving Iris. Wally had needed him and he’d failed him so completely that he doubted the other speedster could ever trust him again.

 

.

.

 

Barry flashed through the halls of STAR Labs until he was standing in front of Cisco’s work station. He didn’t have the strength to even try getting to Earth 38 on his own, anyway, traveling the multiverse was a lot easier with Cisco’s help.

 

“I need your help Cisco” he said as soon as he stopped.

 

“Uh… I think you need to be in bed Barry” Cisco looked up at him “seriously? Why are you even up, Caitlin is going to have a fit”.

 

“I need to clear my head” he answered “I can’t help Wally like this”.

 

“Exactly” Cisco stood up and moved around the table to stand by Barry, gently clasping his shoulder “you need to rest and recover”.

 

“No, I need to see Kara” Barry argued.

 

Cisco shook his head, but he didn’t say anything more for a few seconds, he seemed to be sizing Barry up and the speedster shifted uncomfortably. Cisco finally nodded at him.

 

“Alright then” he didn’t ask anymore questions, just smiled reassuringly at Barry.

 

.

* * *

 

.

 

Earth 38 was so similar to Earth 1, that it was just a little too easy for Barry to forget he wasn’t on his own earth. When Cisco had left Barry in Kara’s apartment, it had been noon and Barry knew he could probably find Kara if he really tried but he decided to stay in her apartment and rest, Cisco was right, he did need to rest and recover physically. He hoped she wouldn’t mind if he turned on her tv and he’d definitely been surprised to be able to watch a marathon of Doctor Who, but he wasn’t complaining. Though he was laughing every time the 11th Doctor came on screen, he was the exact same as the 11th Doctor on Earth 1… except for the beard… the beard was weird… Barry fell asleep just as River Song was shooting the Doctor’s cowboy hat off his head.

 

When he woke up it was fully dark, a blanket had been draped over him and the tv was off. He sat up slowly and was pleased to find his wound didn’t hurt him anymore.

 

“Hey sleepyhead!” Kara was like a ray of warm sunlight as she smiled at him from the kitchen.

 

“Kara” Barry returned her smile as he rubbed a hand through his mussed hair “sorry about just showing up” he said, suddenly anxious that she wouldn’t want him there.

 

“Don’t be silly, you’re always welcome here Barry” Kara put down the spoon she was using to stir something on the stove and came over to sit beside him.

 

“What’s going on?” she asked.

 

Barry grimaced “I just… I made a mistake, a big one” he hesitated, then decided to start from the beginning and tell her everything.

 

“And now, my team is falling apart, Wally is trapped in the speed force, I don’t even know if I can save him” he dropped his head as he finished “I don’t know what to do Kara” he admitted quietly.

 

Kara’s hand reached out and grabbed his gently “you could start by not blaming yourself for things you couldn’t’ve known would happen” she said “but I don’t think either of us are very good at that”.

 

Kara’s thumb was rubbing soothing circles on Barry’s hand and he sighed softly as he leaned towards her a little.

 

“I wish I could, but this really was my fault Kara, I should never had put so much on Wally’s shoulders” he insisted.

 

“We can argue that point later” Kara answered, not pointing out how much he already carried on his own shoulders “right now, we need a plan”.

 

Barry looked up at her in surprise “we?” he asked her.

 

“Of course” Kara told him “I’m with you, however I can help, even if that just means a shoulder to lean on”.

 

Barry smiled tentatively “Thanks Kara”.

 

“I think there’s really only thing _to_ do, I have to go into the speedforce and get him out” Barry continued.

 

“Hmm… but um… won’t that leave _you_ trapped there?” Kara inquired “I mean, if someone _has_ to be in that prison…” she trailed off.

 

“I know” Barry replied quietly “but what choice do I really have?”.

 

Kara shook her head “there has to be another way”.

 

“No, there doesn’t” Barry said, shaking his head “I can’t be that optimistic anymore, sometimes Kara, there just isn’t any other way”.

 

.

* * *

  
.

 

Kara sighed unhappily, she’d barely managed to convince Barry that he needed to rest some more before they headed back to his earth but she’d finally convinced him to crash on her bed while she let a few people know where she was going. Alex had definitely _not_ been happy the last time Kara had traveled the multiverse, partially because Kara hadn’t exactly told her about it beforehand. She got Alex’s voicemail and shrugged mentally, a message would have to do.

 

She glanced into the bedroom again as she slowly dialled Winn’s number and her mouth twisted in anger, she’d expected better from Barry’s team, she knew they must be hurting too, especially the West family, but it seemed to her that Barry probably hadn’t been doing well for a while and his team probably should’ve seen that, her’s would have. And if Barry really had put too much on Wally, why didn’t anyone else say something? Did anyone offer to help the two speedsters bear this burden? Kara really didn’t know, she didn’t know any of Barry’s team that well. Cisco was the one she’d dealt the most with outside of Barry, and she really hadn’t liked how he’d acted during the whole Dominator thing.

 

Barry shifted restlessly and moaned and Kara wondered if he was having a nightmare, she would be if it was her. Why couldn’t someone have just _stayed_ with him in the infirmary? Kara couldn’t imagine not having Alex, J’onn, Winn, or James by her side if she was so badly hurting, no matter what she had or hadn’t done.

 

“Hey Kara!” Winn greeted her cheerfully “what’s up?”.

 

“I’m headed to Earth 1 for a bit” Kara replied “Barry needs help”.

 

“What’s wrong? Is he okay?” Winn asked in concern “you sound grim”.

 

“It’s a bit difficult to explain. No. And I am” Kara told him.

 

“You need help? Cause I’m there if you guys need me” Winn offered.

 

“Well, I do need that device I brought back with me last time, that way I’m in control of my entrance and exit” Kara said.

 

“I’ll bring it over right now” Winn assured her “but seriously, Kara, do you need me?”.

 

Kara bit her lip, it couldn’t hurt to have a sure ally. She wasn’t going to let Barry sacrifice himself and Winn wouldn’t either.

 

“Yeah, actually I wish you would come” she answered.

 

“Then I’m there, be at your place soon” Winn promised.

 

.

.

 

“Okay, so… you’re going to go to Earth 1 _without_ Barry?” Winn’s face scrunched in confusion.

 

“I want to make sure I understand what’s going on” Kara answered “I’ll come back as quick as I can and the three of us will go back then”.

 

Winn shrugged “okay. I don’t know what you’re doing, but I’m sure you do. I just want to point out that I haven’t thoroughly tested that thing so I can’t be sure it’ll work right and/or that it’s not dangerous”.

 

“I’m sure it’s fine” Kara remarked “Cisco seemed to know what he was doing”.

 

“Sure hope so” Winn said.

 

.

* * *

 

.

 

Cisco was more than a little surprised to see Kara come through the breach by herself. But he greeted her politely and waited as she looked around the room.

 

“Where is everyone?” she asked, crossing her arms over her suit and looking as intimidating as he’d ever seen her.

 

“I guess you’ve talked to Barry” it wasn’t a question and Cisco didn’t wait for a reply “we’ve all been working on figuring out how to get Wally out of the speedforce, except for Iris and Joe, they’re just trying to wrap their heads around all of this”.

 

Kara nodded, her expression still stern “Barry is planning on taking Wally’s place in the speedforce prison” she said.

 

Cisco closed his eyes “nope” he murmured “that is not happening” he declared in a louder tone “we need to find a better way”.

 

“I’m glad you think so” Kara’s glare was as piercing as Oliver’s… huh, that was weird. Cisco noted the fact distractedly as he tried to figure out why she was being so hostile.

 

“Look” he started “I don’t know what your problem is, but we don’t have time for whatever this is, we need to save Wally from the speedforce, and we need to save Barry from himself” Cisco shook his head “neither of which will be easy”.

 

Kara blinked at him as though she was surprised “I’m sorry” she offered, her expression finally softening “I got back to my apartment to find a friend desperately in need of help and I got overprotective, it’s just… Barry’s hurting, and not just physically”.

 

“I know” Cisco replied “I was hoping that seeing you would be good for him, Team Flash has been having problems, we haven’t been around for each other like we should be”.

 

Kara nodded “well, you’re going to have to be now, none of you can save Wally all on your own”.

 

Cisco sighed “yeah, I know”.

 

.

* * *

 

.

 

Star City was quiet, normally this would be a good thing but Oliver was on edge, something was wrong. He stalked the streets, keeping to the shadows and patrolling the same area over and over again. He couldn’t pinpoint the reason for his uneasiness. A rush of air behind him had him spinning around ready to shoot.

 

“Barry?” he asked quietly, his eyes raked up and down the speedster, he didn’t look good. Barry’s clothes clung to his thinner than normal frame and his hair hung down in his eyes. But it was his face that Oliver couldn’t look away from. The heavy scarring that marred the right side of the speedster’s face was shocking.

 

“What happened to you?” Oliver breathed.


End file.
